Jordan and Evermami. — Fishes of North America. 1357 



deep, much wider than the small eye. Molar teeth in two series ; teeth 

 hehind the canines slender; scales large. Dorsal spines not elongate, the 

 front longest, aboiit 1\ in head; soft dorsal and anal pointed behind; 

 caudal well forked; second anal spine stronger but not longer than third, 

 about 4.in head; jiectoral fin elongate, longer than head, reaching about 

 to fourth soft ray of anal. American specimens show in life the following 

 coloration : C(dor golden-olive, the middle of each scale largely pinkish- 

 red, giving a general reddish hue to the fish; sides and below silvery, 

 ilushed with red ; many scales of back and sides each with a small round 

 spot of deep purplish-blue, those forming distinct longitudinal streaks on 

 the sides below lateral line, the series somewhat irregular, running along 

 the margins of the scales; above the lateral line these spots are somewhat 

 scattered, forming very irregular obli(iu(' series, running upward and back- 

 ward; a i^\f of these spots on nape and upper part of opercle; a dark 

 spot on upper part of orbital rim ; snout tinged with purplish, occiput 

 with olive ; edge of opercle dusky ; vertical fins largely orange, their edges 

 translucent; spinous dorsal somewhat dusky; ventrals pale, with a pink- 

 ish blotch at base; pectorals yellowish, especially at base, the axil some- 

 what dusky. Length 2 feet. Southern Europe and South Atlantic and 

 Gulf coasts of the United States, south to Uruguay, in rather deep water. 

 (Eu.) This species, common in southern Europe, has been several times 

 taken on the snapi)er banks off Pensacida and at Charleston. Dr. Berg 

 says that it is also common in various localities along the coasts of Argen- 

 tina and Uruguay. There seems to be no difference between American 

 and European specimens, except that in European descriptions we find no 

 allusions to the blue spots characteristic of the American fish. {itcLypoc,, 

 pagrus, the old name, which bas become j>ar^o aiid2}07-gy in modern tongues.) 



Spams pagrus, Linn,55US, Syst. Nat., Ed. x, 279, 1758, Southern Europe ; Jordan, Proc. 



tr. S. Nat. Mus. 1882, 278; Jordan & Fesler, I. c, 516; Berg, Ann. Mus. Nat. de 



Buenos Aires 1895, 49. 

 Pagrus vulgaris. Cuvier & Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Pois.s., vi, 142, 1830, Southern 



Europe; Gunther, Cat. Fishes, I, 466. 

 Sparus argenteus, Bloch & Schneider, Syst. Ichtli., 271, 1801. 

 Pagrus argenteus, CrviER, E<'-gne Animal, Ed. i, 272, 1817; G code «fc Bean, Proc. IT. S. 



Nat. Mus. 1879, 133. 



554. LAGODON, Holbiook. 



(Chopa Spina.) 



Lagodon, Holbrook, lohth. South Carolina, 59, I860 (rhvmhoides). 



The essential character of this genus is in the form of the skull. Supra- 

 occipital and temporal crests nowhere coalescent, the iiiterorbital area not 

 swollen; frontal bone in the interorbital area thin, concave in transverse 

 section; temporal crest low, separated from supraoccipital crest by a 

 flatfish area which extends forward on each side of supraoccipital crest 

 and to groove of premaxillary spines. Otherwise essentially as in Arcliosar- 

 gufi, the antrorse dorsal spine present, the second interlmemal not modified. 

 One species, the incisors deeply notched. {Xaycb?, hare; odcov, tooth.) 



